ILLIKKALAM Lakeside Cottages

Nice location good food healpfull staff
Especially sumod
And room very neat and clean
I. Like it this plaice

Great location and ambience! But poor service and Expensive food (For the kind of hotel) makes the hotel under rated.

The place was very peaceful and clean and the lakefront view was something out of the world. The hospitality was super and warm and they even take care of every little requests. We were in a group of 11 people and they accommodated us so well that we didn’t face any issues. We are super excited to visit the place again anytime and would recommend everyone to come and stay here.

Service could be improved a bit. We traveled almost 300km and people wanted to use the washroom so we asked them to open our rooms. But they were so persistent on not opening the rooms until the full amount was paid, even though we had already paid half while booking. It could have been avoided. Apart from it was good

ഇന്നലെ 23/07/22 നു ഞങ്ങൾ 4 പേര് ലേക്‌ വ്യൂ റൂം ബുക്ക്‌ ചെയ്ത് പോയി. അവിടെ എത്തുന്നതിനു 10 മിനുട്ട് മുന്നേ കൂടെ ഞങ്ങൾ വിളിച്ചു ഞങ്ങൾ എത്താനായി എന്ന് പറഞ്ഞു. അവിടെ ഏതാണ് ലേറ്റ് ആയത് കൊണ്ടാണ് വിളിച്ചു പറഞ്ഞത്. അവിടെ എത്തിയപ്പോ ആ പുന്നാരമക്കൾ പറയാന് ലേക്‌ വ്യൂ കൊട്ടേജ് എല്ലാം കൊടുത്തു. ഇനി വേറെ റൂം ഉണ്ടെന്നു എഗെദേശം ഈവനിംഗ് 6 മണിയോടെ അവിടെ എത്തിയ ഞങ്ങൾ എന്നാ അത് നോക്കാം എന്ന് കരുതി പോയപ്പോ ഒരു ആട്ടും കൂട് പോലെ ഒരു റൂം അതിൽ ഞങ്ങൾ 4 പേര് എങ്ങനെ കിടക്കും. എല്ലാരും ക്ഷീണിതരായത് കൊണ്ട് ഒന്നും പറയാതെ ഞങ്ങൾ ഇറങ്ങി പൊന്നു. ഒരു ഉത്തരവാദിത്തവും ഇല്ലാത്ത ഒരേ ഒരു റിസോർട് ഇതേ ഉണ്ടാവു. വളരെ മോശം

This resort is a great when it comes to the location, budget and their service.

Pros:
- The host and the reception was very responsive.
- Lake view and lake access
- budget friendly
- Location
- Food is reasonably price and good

Things to consider
- Rooms had basic amenities and small
- Some rooms are non-lake view side, hence be cautious

Further, Mr. Salim guided us to the local tourist places nearby. They arranged for lakeside dinner though we booked non-lakeside room. In fact u can take a house boat or boat ride right from the property. Unfortunately we couldn’t due to wind and excessive plants in the lakesides.

When we told one of dish was not up to the mark, they immediately decided not to charge for the same.

Such a wonderful spot with lake right in front. Not to mention the food! This is the best place in Kerala for authentic freshly cooked food and snacks and the hospitality was impeccable. Will definitely visit again. Love.

Packed drinking water was not available as well as basic toiletries, hot water is available only when you call for it.
When they can charge 4k on weekend the least they could do was give packed drinking water now because of this, i got ill the very next day. And the king-size bed is joint operation of two single beds. Totally not recommending not worth it.

Beautiful location taken care by customer oriented individuals.
The airconditioned cottages facing the lake offer a full and direct view from the balcony. We loved the homely food which was a total relief from typical hotel catering with additives and taste enhancers. Most of the veggies are even grown within the campus.

Value for money: 5/5
Location: 5/5
Cleanliness: 5/5
Food: 5/5
Facilities: 4/5 (a small refrigerator in the room would have been a great addition)
Customer service: 5/5 (I would even give a 6 out of 5 but that isn't mathematically possible)

We stayed overnight. Really nice place to chill out at their lakefront villas. The service staff were extremely cordial, especially Asha & Sebin. Rooms needs to be appointed with more stuff. May be a kettle, bigger towels, exhausts in bathrooms & a rack to keep luggage will add upto ensuring better comfort. Food served was also good & sufficient in quantity. We paid about 9k for evening tea n snacks, non veg dinner & veg bfast for group of 12 people.

Though it can not be considered as a resort (no amenities are there of a resort) I liked the place and would recommend for those looking out for budget friendly lakeside stay in Kerala. The food they provide is good and home cooked. All you need to do is to pre-order the food and they can arrange in time. They have facilities for basket ball, table tennis etc but not maintained and so not in usable condition. The staffs are friendly.

I was planning for a Kumarkom visit for long time. While searching, I came across this property and called up. The owner explained me everything in detail and he even said we don't have a pool and the photos of pool in net is not from our property. I booked3 rooms for 2 days stay with my family. Some negative reviews were made me skeptical, but the response I received while reaching there was awesome. Rooms were ready. Food was awesome. Boat was arranged for our trip. The rooms were lake facing and wonderful view for relaxing. If anyone is expecting a hotel experience, it will be disappointing. But if you are expecting an experience when invited to a kerala home, you can feel it. The food is prepared hot and spicy, which was very delicious and tasty. They formed a whatsapp group and whatever requirement you put in the group was immediately attended. Nice experience.

Stayed here for 1 night.cottages are not very comfortable I mean lack basic necessities like toiletries and towel etc.and moreover it is not safe for kids.during my visit there were two families with there kids in the resort and as it is near the lake no proper gating or safety measure is taken.it's very risky kids were running here and there and cud have slipped easily to the other part of the railing. I asked thr guy to at least bolt the gate.which was open the whole time. I would recommend please donot bring kids below 10 years of age

The location is to die for, bang on the lakefront, can't find a better one than this! The rooms r very basic nothing fancy, but neat n clean no complaints. The food is lip smacking, everything that we ordered was super yum. The staff is cordial n warm, always ready to help. Only suggestion is probably they could tile their roof instead of using the sheets, as it would enhance the appearance of the cottages n make it more appealing to the guests n give it a more traditional Kerala look.
Go ahead n book this place, Highly recommended.

Room was very neat and clean. I booked Standard AC room but due to it's unavailability they arranged me a alternate room which is also good. However you like the room or not but I assure you would like the staffs whose working there. Reception staff, security uncle, ladies staffs all are very kindful. It's very rare to see these kind of lovely people in unknown place. I stayed 3 nights there. And first day I came back to room at midnight 12.45 am. Since they open the gate with smiling face. I really loved there behaviour. I will strongly recommend this place for stay.

We visited this place early in the month of April 2022. Had received very poor room service. Lack basic cleanliness. Toiletries and even drinking water was not provided. The worst part is that we have to message every time for each and every service in their WhatsApp Group. Even if we convey our requirements Via WhatsApp, we will end up waiting hours for their service. There are situations were we may not receive the service. Low quality and quantity of the food at highest pricing. Once we are done with the meals, we need to clear the tables and leftovers by ourselves.

Oh my God! What tall claims and what dirty reality! A resort for unhygienic, pest ridden, dirt decorated, zero service stay! Oh yeah, I forgot, the Great Sir and Madam who run it, who firmly believe that those who come there do so because they have nowhere else to go The worst. The only positive thing is the Vembanad lake, which fortunately, is not theirs

Excellent stay. Calm and quite atmosphere. The view towards lake was awesome. You can just sit and relax from your cottage with the view available. The food was very good. A perfect recipe for family vacation. The staff was also very friendly.

Well maintained resort with good food. Place was very nice but food was even better. Staff and their services were good. At first we thought it won't be that great, we booked it after went through many bad reviews but that is not true at all.we got more than what we expected at the end. Over all decent experience. If you are looking for a calm quiet place for your family with a scenic beauty of kayal yes this is the place. Still I agree, there is a lot of room for improvement.

It's a very Beautiful Vibe, Abeyance near to the lake side, enjoying the Nature beauty, very good Service by the staff, the accommodation, the tasty homely food service. No words to say above all it's a wonderful experience for me and
My wife on a Vacation trip from Abroad in illakalam Resort.
Thanking so much for the good service wish them all the best.

This cottage is simply wowing in each aspect be it location, staff, cleanliness, or food and specially reception desk team. I just loved each bit of my stay of 1 night. The cottage is massive n spacious with a lovely lake view. The highlight of the cottage is its food and location. The food is very delicious. The service is also very prompt. Location is excellent. They have their parking, so It's pretty easy for guest to reach at the cottage, All in all, an outstanding stay with many fond memories. This cottage is simply wowing in each aspect be it location, staff, cleanliness, or food and specially reception desk team. I just loved every bit of my stay of 1 night. The cottage is massive n spacious with a lovely lake view. The highlight of the cottage is its food and location. The food is very delicious. The service is also very prompt. Location is exceptional. They have their parking, so It's pretty easy for guest to reach at the cottage, All in all, a remarkable stay with countless fond memories.

The only attraction for this stay was the front view. Apart from that, everything provided by the management was disappointing.

Pathetic room service and the rooms were also not much clean.
Bedsheets n other toilet accessories were not clean enough. Food was the worst. Evening time they served us with a tea, which was horrible and we had to go out and get tea from a local shop and then have it. With the price they are charging, we ideally should get a much better room service and amenities.

I would suggest nobody to go here even if they offer a free stay.

Worst stay ever … rude and badly mannered staff … if you looking for a pleasant and peaceful stay please dont prefer illikalam cottages…

It was a really good experience. The lakeview cottage is must recommended. The staffs are all friendly.

The place is quiet. The staff is accommodating and very near to boating and other activities. Right on the waterfront. The staff really work hard to make the place wonderful. Thank You from Varghese and family. Hope to visit some time again

I was traveling with my family, and reached place by 11pm when everything was shut. Seeing kids along Sebin went out of way to open the kitchen and provide us with basic whatever he could do at midnight. I have been coming to this place for last 4yrs now and this place never fails to impress us.

A good recommendation specially if you're traveling with family and kids.

The stay was very good. The staffs are all friendly and the food is good as well. The lakeview cottages are especially recommended and they are spacious. A really good place to go with family and friends. Follows Covid protocols and really clean.

Friendly and approachable staff. Clean room. Good lake side view. Lake boating available. Though there was some issues at the beginning in regards to a/c working, staff handled it well.

Lovely place for a very chilled out experience. Borders the back waters, beautiful sunset boat ride, lovely food and great hospitality

Beware - Reservation was cancelled last minute without any notification. No effort was made to inform us, rude and bad mouthed customer service. I guess they sold our reservation to someone else for higher rate

Don’t let your vacation or trip ruin because of this scam and unethical businesses.

I would like to start this review of by saying, this place isn't necessarily bad. The rooms had a nice view, the rooms seemed clean and probably other things were nice. I say this with uncertainty because, I never actually experienced any of these things. I write this review not about my experience with the stay, but my experience of being denied the stay.
When i booked this place on bookings.com, I received a message that my booking was confirmed. This message was sent by bookings.com, as it usually is, so I paid no attention to it and assumed that all was right in the world.
Let me assure you, dear reader,
It was not.
For after I had gotten this message, I closed the website, the hotel had sent me a message on bookings.com, saying that I had to pay a fee to confirm the booking. A small amount, but still, they sent a message on a website that I was not looking at. I will accept that this part of the problem is my fault, for not checking a website that had a slow messaging system. But even after not receiving any sort of confirmation for a message, a hotel manager should at least call the potential customer, should they not?
They should at least send another message saying "we are going to cancel your booking" or rather inform booking.com about this.

But instead, nothing.
The hotel had cancelled our reservation without telling us.
And like fools, we travelled 7 hours to the hotel, expecting a warm bed to greet us, but instead we were greater by the cold sneer of a booking cancelled without our knowledge.

In conclusion, I have no qualms with the hotel's experience. For all I know it could be a wonderful stay to bring the family and the dog to. What I do have a problem with, is the hotel's management skills, or rather, the lack thereof.

I shall not be returning back to this establishment.

Mr manager don't teach us about etiquites we have stayed in five stayed in 5 star hotels. You guys disabled the payment link and never emailed or contacted us unless and until we called. That time you guys send payment link for name sake. These guys are purely money minded and they wait till last moment to see if they can resell the existing booking.i don't know why bookings.com keep these uncultured people in their list. Dont trust or book here. They will make u travel and will quote more or ask their customers to get lost. The aunty receptionist with malayali accent shouted with her broken English. Sounded like she worked in lodge before.

Rooms are on the expensive side given that the room are small. But it doesn't compromise on facilities, rooms has TV, AC, Clean Bathrooms, good beds and cupboards. Food served here are very good and tasty but are very expensive too. It pays to order food early because it could get very late accounting for reduced staff due to COVID19 protocol. There are no restaurants near by so you'll have to take that into account while booking. You'll have a nice view if you book Lake facing rooms, but you will not get to see the sunrise since it doesn't face East. The premises could have been maintained a bit cleaner. Staffs are very polite and well manared. The room are expensive but are one of the cheapest compared to others in the area.

It was a wonderful time spent at Illikkalam Lake Cottages with our dearest friends. We stayed here for 2 nights. The serene ambience and the beauty of nature with its twittering birds early in the morning enriched us The view from the cottage is mind-blowing. The rippling waters, the flashing waves and the twilight with abundance of oxygen did work on our Adrenaline indeed.
Rejuvinated blissfully. They went over and beyond to help make our stay enjoyable. Special thanks to the friendly staff who were with us all the time. It was like a home away from Home, a perfect place for relaxation. We have created a lot of special memories here.
This is a good staycation with families, and if u r expecting an exceptional one, this is slightly above average.
The approach road should get a better make-over.
Thanks a lot Salim.

A hidden gem in the kumarakom resort stretch.
The ambience of these lake facing cottages refresh your soul and makes it ideal place for a relaxing weekend.
Decent amenities, extra clean rooms and tasty food are some add-ons.
If you are into reading, pack your books and this place is for you.

Worst experience in my life.
I booked this resort 2 years back (during Kerala flood time) for a get-together with my friends. Before the trip, I kept calling Salim to make sure that everything is fine and whether we were able to reach the place from Chengannur/ thirvalla. And he was always saying there is no problem and you can reach here he will rdund the money if we can't. During the check-in day, we were not able to reach the kumarakom because the road between thirvalla and kumarakom was flooded. I messaged him for the refund, he didn't even respond to my request. Such a rude person.reply to owner's response.
First of all, I don't have any intention to defame you purposefully. But I wanted to let the people know about the experience I had from your end. It is definitely a mistake that I took this much time to share my experience. I wanted to share this experience right after the flood so that some people could have benefited from this, but the situation we were due to flood was much severe than anything else.

As you could see from the screenshots I shared, I contacted you for the refund and made multiple calls explaining our situation. My friends also made many calls asking about the refund. People in Kerala could remember how badly Chengannur and near by areas affected due to flood. I had called you many times before the check-in date to make sure that if the road is not affected by flood. You always gave us confidence to travel and said you would refund the money in the worst case. Now everyone will know that who's lying. You don't have any shame to blatantly lie to your customers without checking the records.

Normally people would give nice review if they don't face any problems. Review always matters how do you handle customer's problem.

Had a wonderful stay.staff had been very cordial and the food was so tasty.had a homely touch to it.would prefer Lakeview cottages for the picturesque view of kayal

If you want to understand how unprofessional the management is, just read through their response to the negative reviews. Name calling reviewers and terming all negative reviews as ‘review terrorism’ just shows you give zero value to your customers. Such egoistic approach and arrogance is what kills hospitality. There is no harm in accepting shortcomings and committing to better them. Think beyond ‘money making’. Good luck!

Affordable yet neat and clean property facing the Vembanad lake, in Kumarakom. They have independent cottages and family villas facing the lake with a nice lawn extending upto the lake from each cottage. Each cottage has an front canopy with dining table where you can enjoy the food watching the lake and enjoying the breeze.

Cleanliness: The cottages are not brand new but was well maintained and clean. Washrooms were clean and bed linen was also fresh (though we always use our own since the pandemic).

Room Interior: Basic room with attached washroom and a sitout. Very clean and neatly maintained compared to many other properties in similar category during the pandemic. The curtains and window sills were clean and there was no dust anywhere. Floors had conventional ceramic tiles but were very neat. Wall paint wasn't fresh but still very clean and impressive. The old wooden wardrobe was bit old school but nothing against the overall neatness. AC and TV were perfect though we did not use both. One major missing was mosquito nets on the windows, though not necessary for an AC room, to enjoy the nice breez it was a must.

Premises: The lawn in front of the lake facing cottages are neat and maintained. The concrete paving amidst the grass is nice to walk upto the fence beside the lake. Sitting there sipping a cup of coffee was relaxing indeed. Overall the lawn and premises in front of the cottages facing the lake was nice and safe even during night. As for the path leading from the reception to the cottage area, the overgrown vegetation on either side was bit of a turn off. However it can be ignored as even while running on limited resources during this pandemic, they are doing well to keep the rooms and cottages fairly clean.

Service: Even though they have limited staff during these times, the service was excellent and staff were very attentive. They hav a system of connecting each room guest to their housekeeping, Kitchen and front office via a unique whatsapp group. This was very helpful and the response was very prompt.

Food: All meals are made upon prior order. They serve it at the dining table in front of each cottage. This gives a nice ambience and also a very good safety measure during the pandemic. You literally do not have to interact with others like in a restaurant.
We ordered only dinner so can't rate the food on a whole. But it was good. However, the food did get bit cold owing to the heavy wind outside and the distance from the kitchen to the cottage. It would be a plus if they could serve in hot casserole.

Verdict:
Do not expect a posh resort. But it is value for money with all that you would need to detox especially in a safe atmosphere during this pandemic. The independent cottages, dedicated dining table and almost zero interaction check-in is ideal for families looking for a safe stay with social distancing.